Page 51 of Talk Birdie to Me

“Speaking of care and maintenance and smells,” Sierra said. “How’s that dirty bird doing at your place?”

Geena shrugged. “Kind of a mess. But less of a mess than I expected, to be honest.”

“I knew he’d grow on you.” Taylor breezed into the room and leaned against the wall. “My question is, how’s Cody growing on you?”

“He’s not.”

But a flash of him sleeping on her couch that morning, insisting on spending the night to protect her, had slightly shifted her perception of him. He wasn’t as callous as he at first appeared. He cared about Gary. And her safety. It had been unexpected and a bit uncomfortable having him there overnight, but she appreciated the concern he had for them.

Although she didn’t get much sleep, knowing he was just across the house from her. She’d tried every calming technique she knew, but her brain insisted on betraying her.

Cody was not an option. Of any kind. No matter where he slept.

“Didn’t he bring you food?” Taylor’s grin widened. “Again?”

Sierra scooped Potato Salad back into her arms. “Ooh, the zoo guy? Y’all are a thing now?”

“We’re not a thing,” Geena said, her words a little sharper than she’d intended. More because she was struggling to convince herself of that than any irritation with these women. “He’s just helping with the bird. And he feels guilty about dumping Gary on me, so he’s trying to be nice and helpful. So, yes, he brought food.”

“Okay, but did you eat this food together?” Sierra asked.

“They did,” Taylor said.

Liz walked back into the room with another yellow Lab pup and swapped it out for the one Sierra was holding. “Who did what?”

Sierra nodded at Geena. “She’s dating zoo guy now. The one with the bird.”

Liz paused with Potato Salad before leaving to return him to their kennel. “For real? I thought you hated him.”

“I didn’t hate him,” Geena said. “We just aren’t compatible.”

“But you had dinner with him. What… three times now?” Taylor wagged a finger at her sister. “There’s no way you didn’t talk during all that time he spent there. You must be at least slightly compatible if you can hang out together.”

Geena had been trying not to think about that for the past twenty-four hours. Having Taylor lay it out like that was doing nothing for Geena’s logical resistance to the idea.

“Hanging out doesn’t mean compatible. We’re very different and want different things from a relationship.” Geena didn’t understand why she seemed to be the only one who understood this. “It also doesn’t mean there’s an attraction there.”

Sierra put the new yellow Lab on the table. “No, but that flush on your cheeks means there’s something there.”

“She’s blushing?” Taylor leaned to the side to get a better look at Geena’s face. “Oh, yeah.”

“Sure is,” Liz said.

“I’m not blushing. It’s just warm in here.”

At least that wasn’t a lie. It was late May, which meant summer in Louisiana was already in full force, even though the sun was lower in the sky that evening. Of course, it would only get hotter as the months dragged on and hurricane season ramped up. Until then, there were rains and flooding to keep an eye out for.

And kitten season.

The Memorial Day puppy litter was the current priority, but Geena would have her hands full with kittens to photograph later the following weekend. The shelter was overrun with litters of kittens and mama cats with nursing kittens. And they were coming in faster than Sierra and Liz could find new fosters for them.

“You should have been here last week when the A/C went out for two days,” Sierra said. “It was dog mouth steamy in here.”

Liz waved the comment away. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Don’t let Geena off the hook,” Taylor said. “That was definitely blushing. Go on. Admit it. You like him.”

Geena lowered her camera and sighed. “Whether or not I like him is irrelevant.”

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